Handheld dimensioner with data-quality indication

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016112643-A1
Application number	US-201414519233-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 21, 2014
Priority date	Oct 21, 2014
Publication date	Apr 21, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A handheld dimensioner with a user interface configured to present a quality indicator is disclosed. The handheld dimensioner is configured to capture three-dimensional (3D) data and assess the three-dimensional-data's quality. Based on this quality, a quality indicator may be generated and presented to a user via the user interface. This process may be repeated while the user repositions the handheld dimensioner. In this way, the user may use the quality indicators generated at different positions to find an optimal position for a particular dimension measurement.

First claim

1 . A method for indicating a quality of three-dimensional (3D) data captured by a handheld dimensioner, the method comprising:
capturing, using a sensor, three-dimensional (3D) data from of a field-of-view; transmitting the three-dimensional data to a processor; assessing, using the processor, the quality of the three-dimensional data; generating, using the processor, a quality indicator corresponding to the quality; and signaling the quality indicator on a user interface.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the user interface comprises a display for signaling the quality indicator.

3 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein the quality indicator comprises a visual image of the field-of-view with a graphical overlay, the graphical overlay corresponding to the quality.

4 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein the quality indicator comprises a gauge graphic displaying the quality as one of a range of possible qualities.

5 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein the quality indicator comprises a graphic, the graphic's color corresponding to the quality.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the user interface comprises a light for signaling the quality indicator.

7 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein the quality indicator comprises a pulsating illumination of the light the pulsating-illumination's pulse rate corresponding to the quality.

8 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the user interface comprises a speaker for signaling the quality indicator.

9 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein the quality indicator comprises a sound, the sound's volume and/or frequency corresponding to the quality.

10 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the user interface comprises a haptic device for signaling the quality indicator.

11 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the quality indicator comprises a vibration, the vibration's amplitude and/or rate corresponding to the quality.

12 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the capturing, transmitting, assessing, generating, and signaling are repeated.

13 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the quality of the three-dimensional data comprises accuracy.

14 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the quality of the three-dimensional data comprises resolution.

15 . A handheld dimensioner configured to indicate the quality of three-dimensional (3D) data used for dimensioning, the handheld dimensioner comprising:
a dimensioning subsystem for capturing visual images and three-dimensional data of a field-of-view; a user-interface subsystem configured to present a quality indicator to a user; a control subsystem communicatively coupled to the dimensioning subsystem and the user-interface subsystem, the control subsystem comprising at least one processor and at least one non-transitory storage medium for storing processor-executable instructions, wherein the processor-executable instructions configure the processor to: (i) receive three-dimensional data from the dimensioning subsystem, (ii) assess the three-dimensional-data's quality, (iii) generate the quality indicator corresponding to the quality, and (iv) transmit the quality indicator to the user-interface.

16 . The handheld dimensioner according to claim 15 , wherein the user-interface subsystem comprises a display.

17 . The handheld dimensioner according to claim 15 , wherein the quality indicator comprises a visual image of the field-of-view with a graphical overlay, the graphical overlay corresponding to the quality.

18 . The handheld dimensioner according to claim 15 , wherein the quality indicator comprises a graphical scale displaying the quality as one of a range of qualities on the graphical scale.

19 . The handheld dimensioner according to claim 15 , wherein the quality indicator comprises at least one prompt for provoking an action by a user.

20 . The handheld dimensioner according to claim 15 , wherein the user interface comprises a light for presenting illumination corresponding to the quality indicator.

21 . The handheld dimensioner according to claim 15 , wherein the user interface comprises a speaker for presenting sounds corresponding to the quality indicator.

22 . The handheld dimensioner according to claim 15 , wherein the user interface comprises a haptic device for presenting vibrations corresponding to the quality indicator.

23 . A handheld dimensioner configured to indicate a quality of three-dimensional (3D) data used for dimensioning, the handheld dimensioner comprising:
a dimensioning subsystem for capturing visual images and three-dimensional data of a field-of-view; a user-interface subsystem comprising a means for presenting graphical information; a control subsystem communicatively coupled to the dimensioning subsystem and the user-interface subsystem, the control subsystem comprising at least one processor and at least one non-transitory storage medium for storing processor-executable instructions, wherein the processor-executable instructions configure the processor to: (i) receive 3D data from the dimensioning subsystem, (ii) assess the quality of the 3D data, (iii) transmit the quality of the 3D data to the user-interface (iv) indicate the quality of the 3D data via the means for presenting graphical information.

24 . The handheld dimensioner according to claim 23 , wherein the graphical information comprises a gauge indicating the quality of the 3D data.

25 . The handheld dimensioner according to claim 15 , wherein the graphical information comprises positioning guidance.

Assignees

• Hand Held Prod Inc

Inventors

• Laffargue Franck
• Hunt Jeffrey
• Houle Scott

Classifications

• H04N23/60

  Control of cameras or camera modules · CPC title

• G06T7/0002 Primary

  Inspection of images, e.g. flaw detection · CPC title

• H04N5/23216

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N5/23293 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N13/0296

  Electricity · mapped topic